1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a magazine for an air gun capable of repeat firing pellets formed of lead, etc., and an air gun having this magazine. Specifically, the present invention relates to a magazine for an air gun capable of repeat firing of pellets formed of lead etc. using compressed air and an air gun having this magazine.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, cartridge chambers for air guns employing pellets made of lead etc. are as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,766 (related example 1). In a first related example 1, a rotatable loader 64 provided with a plurality of pellets 125 is disclosed. However, the loader 64 of related example 1 can be rotated taking an axis in a direction parallel to the direction of a gun barrel 50 (barrel) as center. The structure is then such that inserted pellets 125 are also inserted in the direction of the barrel and are discharged from the muzzle in the direction of insertion (refer to FIG. 3, FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 of related example 1).
Further, with a gas-operated pellet gun with removable clip loader as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,189 (related example 2), a configuration is adopted whereby when respective pellet chambers 119 coincide with the opening 124 while rotating the six pellet chambers 119 centrally about a post 115 facing in a direction parallel with the direction of the gun barrel 30, a pellet P is pushed out to the firing position. Pellet chambers 119 in related example 3 are also rotated centrally about a post 115 facing in a direction parallel to the direction of the gun barrel 30 and the respective pellets are loaded into the pellet chamber 119 in advance in the direction of the gun barrel 30.
Further, a chamber (revolver barrel 36) for an air gun having a central axis of rotation in a vertical direction (a direction at right angles to the direction of the gun barrel 26) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,095 (related example 3). However, pellets loaded into the pellet chambers 38 are loaded into the gun barrel 26 one at a time by rotating the six respective pellet chambers 38 of this revolver barrel 36 in a plane in the same direction as the direction of the gun barrel 26 and discharged to the gun barrel 26. Namely, the revolver barrel (member) 36 is provided with six, equiangularly spaced radial pockets or pellet chambers 38,each of which opens at its outer end on the periphery of barrel 36,and at its inner end on a post 28. (see column 1, line 66 to 69 in the related example 3).
However, with the air gun magazines disclosed in related example 1 to related example 3, the size of the respective rotating discs has to be large because the number of pellet chambers is large and this is detrimental to the balance of the air gun and makes handling difficult.
A magazine for an air gun of this invention can be freely attached to and detached from an air gun body using a magazine body, and has a plurality of pellet holders capable of being loaded with one pellet at a time. The plurality of pellet holders move orbitally about a pellet holder path and the pellets can be fed from the pellet holders towards a rotary sub chamber positioned below.
The pellets drop one at a time into the rotary pellet hole of the rotary sub chamber due to the shutter interlocked with the conveyor link opening and closing the pellet hole and the pellet holders are moved one at a time by the operation of the link latch of the conveyor link.
The air gun of this invention has a rotary sub chamber for changing the direction of single pellets falling from the magazine from a vertical direction through ninety degrees for feeding into the barrel. The rotary sub chamber is positioned at a lower part of the magazine body, is fitted to the air gun body so as to be freely rotatable about the sub chamber rotary axis, and has a sub chamber arm parallel with the sub chamber rotary axis and a rotary pellet hole constituted by a through-hole.
The rotary sub chamber is rotated through ninety degrees by a backwards and forwards shifting trans link fitted to the air gun body so that the direction of the angle of the rotary pellet hole can be changed through ninety degrees from a direction coinciding with the barrel to a direction coinciding with the pellet hole of the magazine
Further, the conveyor link of the magazine is interlocked with the forward and backward movement of the trans link and also shifts forwards and backwards.
The effect of this invention is that the discharge of a large number of pellets is possible with the loading of an extremely compact magazine. Further, the loading of pellets one at a time is also possible with the magazine remaining mounted on the air gun body so that limitless consecutive firing is possible.